If cocoa beans aren't the first ingredient listed, you're in trouble.

Buying a bar of chocolate shouldn’t be an academic exercise, but with the maze of labels available these days, it’s hard not to stand dumbfounded in the chocolate aisle. Most of us resort to the same tactic we use to buy wine: pick the prettiest package! We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it’s tempting. Especially when the packaging of so many artisan bars is so beautiful.

But let’s talk about what to look for on a chocolate label, as well as what all that labeling terminology means. This cheat sheet will help you look like a bona fide chocolate expert.

How to Read a Chocolate Label

Label Smarts

Some of the shorthand used on labels can expand into a lot of information — and contention. For example, phrases like “small batch,” “craft,” “handmade,” and “artisan” don’t have legal definitions. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Unlike in other parts of life, with chocolate, people like to brag about their small size. Based on conversations with larger bean-to-bar makers, I define small batch as chocolate made in batches up to 550 pounds, using a variety of equipment, but it’s hard to find a definitive rule. Meanwhile, according to the International Chocolate Awards, a microbatch means the capacity of the largest machine in production is 110 pounds or less.

Chocolate makers love to say everything is handmade, which, strictly speaking, means the food or product is made by hand, without the use of machines. Since it’s almost impossible to make fine chocolate completely without a machine (especially when grinding nibs!), the term is another messy one without an agreed-upon definition. Common stages done by hand are sorting beans, filling bar molds, and wrapping bars.

The same problems apply to the word artisan. Traditionally that word means a person who has apprenticed with a master to learn a trade and become a master herself, or a description of the products she makes. However, in the United States it’s currently an undefined and shape-shifting word, used by makers and companies however they see fit. It’s often seen as interchangeable with “craft,” “small batch,” and, in chocolate, “bean to bar.” Every maker uses it differently, but consumers associate it overwhelmingly with flavor and being handmade. Take “handmade” and “artisan” with a grain of salt, since they often promise more than they deliver.

Cocoa percentage simply means the percentage of cocoa solids and cocoa butter in a chocolate. A higher percentage doesn’t mean higher quality, but including this information means the maker is paying attention.

Direct-trade sourcing is ideal, but you’ll often see other qualifications and certifications on labels, such as fair trade and Rainforest Alliance. Investigate these standards carefully before assuming they guarantee ethical and high-quality chocolate.

Tasting notes are suggestions, not the end-all, be-all. Some people read the notes before they taste, as guides; others wait to see what they taste and then read.

Phrases to Avoid

Then there are the words that should never, ever appear on a quality chocolate label. If you see one of these hazards, don’t panic! Follow the same guidelines you would if you came across a grizzly in the wilderness: carefully place the bar on the ground and back away slowly toward safety (a.k.a. a more delicious chocolate bar).

Chocolaty. If used as a product name, it means the bar doesn’t contain enough cocoa (10 percent in the United States) to legally be called chocolate. It may also contain fats other than cocoa butter, artificial sweeteners, or milk substitutes, any of which would also prevent it from being legally designated “chocolate.”

Made with chocolate. Same issue as with “chocolaty.”

Chocolate liquor. If you see this on an ingredients list, it means the company did not make the chocolate from the bean. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for bean-to-bar chocolate, this phrase should be avoided.

Vegetable oil. A clear indicator that the chocolate is subpar, to the point that, legally, it has to be called “chocolaty,” not “chocolate.”

Butter oil. Clarified butter, which is often used instead of cocoa butter in cheap, low-quality chocolates.

Artificial sweeteners. Stevia, Xylitol, Aspartame, Sucralose, and so on will give the chocolate a strange taste and should be avoided.

Milk substitutes. Also an indicator that the chocolate is subpar and made by cutting corners.

PGPR. An acronym for polyglycerol polyricinoleate, which is made from glycerol, among other things. It’s often used as an emulsifier in low-quality chocolates.

Vanillin. The synthetic version of vanilla. It should be avoided.

Distributed by. Indicates that the chocolate was made by a big conglomerate, not a small-batch maker.

Product of. If you’re buying from an American company but the label says “product of Belgium” or “product of Switzerland,” for example, the chocolate is made by a big corporation and then sold to the company you’re buying from.